In February, Climate Refugees had the pleasure of conversing with Maggie Wang at Human Rights Pulse for their article “Climate and Migration in Central America: The Aftermath of Eta & Iota”, alongside other experts from UNHCR, IOM, Environmental Justice Foundation and Refugees International. Below is an extension of that conversation.

For further information on the impacts of climate change on migration, see our latest report:

1. How do intersections of race, class, gender, and other forms of identity influence the picture of climate migration in Central America?

Indigenous People, most of whom engage in the agricultural sector across Central America, have long been marginalized politically, socially and economically. So, it’s not surprising that the development of Indigenous populations in every Central America country lags far behind national averages, a product of structural discrimination, systemic exclusion, a long history of human rights abuses, including land dispossession and even environmental leaders being killed.

We cannot overlook that in many countries, land dispossession is linked to multinational company mega-projects, some of which are also linked to conflict. So, it’s important to think about how Indigenous people are being moved off their lands.

You can see how rights abuses and underdevelopment – land dispossession, poverty, malnutrition, limited access to healthcare, education, economic support, climate adaptation, etc. – plays out when climate change and climate variability induce more frequent and extreme disasters.

2.    How might the fallout from Eta and Iota affect the United States and its immigrant communities specifically?

This is a region with several countries that consistently rank high for weather-related disasters on climate risk indices.

Regional estimates are that over 4 million people were affected by the Eta and Iota hurricanes, and caused losses of more than 70% of production in the agricultural sector. Future economic estimates are also grim. We can extrapolate then the dire impacts of these disasters on already developing countries and vulnerable populations, both initially and to come. In development terms, the impacts of these disasters amount to several years of setbacks. These are particularly acute in marginalized populations.  

In terms of migration, it’s important to frame the structural causes of Central American migration, because there always are multiple drivers of migration – economic, social, political, conflict, persecution, climate impacts – and often, migrants can be facing many of these drivers at once as push factors.

Family reunification can be a pull factor. I would expect the increased need in hurricane-affected communities will fuel increased remittances from the US, an added challenge during the economic impacts of Covid-19.   

A bulk of US migrants are Indigenous, but may not be identifying as such due to historical repression. We know that what we are seeing at the US border in many cases is a result of forced migration: people fleeing insufficient growth, poverty and inequality, violence, that in several cases is state sponsored either directly or indirectly, impacts and vulnerability to climate change and climate variability.

The Trump administration slashed aid to Central American countries intended to help migrant communities’ development of jobs and sustainable farming to withstand impacts of climate change. Of course, this too then had massive consequences in these countries and propelled further migration to US borders.

We can expect the latest hurricane impacts to deepen poverty and structural inequities, thus forcing more migrants across the border.

3.    What does the fallout from Eta and Iota tell us about the state of climate policy and the necessary directions for policy in the near future?

Hopefully it confirms the need for not only stronger policy, but also the need to give climate displaced populations the rights and protection they need.

In the US, a new administration can signal some positive changes with respect to Central America migration. For instance, the US has policy tools to grant temporary protection, which it has utilized in the past for populations impacted by hurricanes. These should be utilized in the context of Central America climate displaced populations, and extended beyond populations only impacted by natural disasters. Climate change impacts are also felt via what we term “slow-onset” events, and Central America migrants are no exception. 

Obviously, there is a need to reinstate aid to Central America countries, but it’s vital that the aid is increased and directed to specifically include building climate resilience and adaptation, specific to agricultural communities. This would also be consistent with Paris Agreement commitments, where the US pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund to help vulnerable countries fight climate change.

On the international front, President Biden establishing a climate office and instituting John Kerry as Envoy, someone who has long voiced concerns about ‘climate refugees’, is a hopeful step towards possibly making climate displacement a priority at the upcoming COP26, endorsing the Global Compact for Migration in order to help fulfill its promise, and influencing stronger global commitments by seeing through existing US commitments, while taking on even more ambitious ones.

4.    Which strategies has Climate Refugees found to be most and least effective in raising awareness about and finding solutions for climate migration, and why do you think this is?

We think it’s important to put a human lens on climate change. The topic can be quite abstract, even clinical, and even with such increased interest in this topic, it’s incredible how many are still unaware of the human rights implications and the legal void climate displacement poses to actual human beings.

Another reality lacking are the links between climate change and forced migration due to its intersectionality. This qualitative data and analysis understanding the nexus of climate change impacts within existing dynamics, in varying forms, places and it’s intersectionality are helpful to policy-makers.

It’s essential that affected communities influence policy, that their voices are heard. One way we do that is via field reports that tell their stories, opinions on what is most needed, etc. We also do that educational and awareness raising platforms like SPOTLIGHT, which maintains consistent and updated stories and analysis of the complexities and impacts of climate change all across the world.